Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The LA Mart celebrates it's 50Th Anniversary with a glam redesign. The Los Angeles Mart supersedes its reputation as THE MECCA of retail and product trends in downtown LA and in the WEST. The Mart has a newly renovated floor that's solely for rent for events. The space is amazing for your next SWAGable event.

This summer The Mart also has a series of fab SWAG events for all you luxaholics like "The 8 Wonders of the world events."

July 15-18th"EIGHT IS GREAT" : Enjoy a passport to travel the 8th wonder of the world … L.A. Mart’s 8th floor! Shop these exciting showrooms and win unbelievable prizes, including a $500 Saks gift certificate, $200 gas card, a lavish day at the spa, Barnes & Noble gift certificate, personal care basket and more! Visit 8th floor showrooms July 15–18 to get your passport stamped or for details. Check the 8th floor daily for gift bags, fantastic show specials and giveaways! Join us for exotic food and drink during Late Nite Shopping on Friday, July 18 from 6-8 p.m. Don’t miss your flight to savings and fun!

Monday, June 16, 2008

If you've read recently the latest Life & Style, STAR, ENQUIRER or watched E-STYLE then you know what the hottest celebrities are wearing. LA's elite Stars like Eva Longoria, Ashley Simpson and Vanessa Manillo can be seen sporting signature Leana Couture Tank Tops.

I'm very excited to blog about Leana because not only does her SWAG dazzle but so does she. I hope to get her in one of my gift projects ( keep you posted).

You can view her sexy collection of naughty but nice tanks and browse some of the elite LA boutiques that carry her line at http://www.leanatanktops.com/ .

Monday, June 9, 2008

Biz Bash 2008. A who's who of companies catering to party planners responsible for the elite events in the LA party scene. Ranging from award shows, private parties and the type of over the top luxury productions we read about in the party pages of 944 Magazine. The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Sofitel and SBE & Bolthouse (have you seen an episode of The Hills lately?) were among the notable venues for hire at Biz Bash this year.

Being that events and SWAG run hand in hand, I was excited to see some fantastic ideas that add ambiance and value to any event. One such idea was creating your own custom fragrance to coordinate with the theme of your event. If for example your event called for staging an outdoor garden theme inside, utilizing the custom scent to fragrance the room like "fresh cut grass." Appealing to the scent senses of your guests.

They say bigger is better, and another clever event idea worth mentioning was customized blown up air structures, your logo created in a mega flowers structure to hang on the wall of an event and custom movies. What better way to market yourself at your event then with a 64 inch flat screen TV and a 2 minute professionally produced music video of your company.

Last but not least I saw a first even for my eyes! Custom wait-staff uniforms with flat screen mini TVs built in. So when your waiters are making their rounds serving cocktails at your celeb event, you no longer have to look at their boring old backs. Now you can enjoy passing the time watching a commercial on the back of your waiter. I couldn't make that up!

Playmates Stephanie Larimore and Shannon James were on hand to introduce the bands, meet with rock fans, sign autographs, take pictures and distribute sun visors displaying the Playboy 25th Anniversary logo. The concert was co-sponsored by WBCN 104.1 FM Boston.

"I really appreciate all your help in getting the limited edition signature Playboy TVAnniversarySWAG to Boston in record time. They were a hit!"

Sunday, June 1, 2008

I'm so proud of my Los Angeles Lakers, I had to give them props for winning Game 5. Being at the game was "out of control" as we (the fans) bonded as we knew we were a part of Los Angeles history. An emotional roller coasters of chants..."MVP -MVP" and "Let's go Lakers" all that was left at the end was to high five and hug the strangers around me when it was all said and done and the trophy was being presented.

As memorable as the game was, so is the SWAG I took away from it! Every fan who walked into the Staple Center for Game 5 walked away with a signature purple and gold T-Shirt. Everyone immediately put on their shirts and the crowd was a sea of gold.

ASR(Action Sport Retailers) Holiday 08 retail show took place in beautiful Newport Beach.

I watched in "AWE" as the

pro-skateboardersdid their magic on the mega skate ramps brought in for our lunch viewing entertainment. ASR did it's job in showcasing some of the "action sport" industries big dogs from Quicksilver, Hurley & Rip Curl .There is some exciting trends in apparel and product coming out this year and retailers were stocking for Holiday. With apparel shows it's important to respect exclusivity to these lines and cameras are not allowed.

I decided to showcase from the show some smaller grass roots lines that have great SWAG potential. By SWAG potential, there is great opportunity for "private label" in that you can customize these products with your very own brand or logo. A few of my fav's were:

-Sparx Candle Company-environmentally friendly soy candles made by hand. You will love Sparx "wine bottle" candles for your home. Even better is the method that Maui Girls use by recycling wine bottles into candle holders with custom etching on the bottles, also available with hand carved wood lids and tin containers. (You can customize these candles by imprinting your logo on the etched glass, tins or wood lid. ) Mahalo Ally & Margie!http://www.sparxcandles.com/

-Free Style Jewelry-Inspirational, unique hand made jewelry made in the mountains of Denver Colorado by a determined snow boarding pro with a message to save her mountains by any means possible. Her jewelry is hot, edgy and environmentally friendly with a part of the proceeds going to The Environmental Foundation. (You can customize this jewelry with your logo imprinted on a custom charms).

Mahalo Olga!http://www.freestylejewelry.com/You'll be happy to know that that the Quicksilver line is now available to the Ad Specialty Industry. Which means if you wanted brand name Quicksilver wearables, co-branded with your logo for an event for uniforms, golf tourneys or as general gifts it can be done.

The Swag Suite

19.6 Billion was spent on Swag products this last year. The Swag Suite pays respect to clever branded swag, the creative minds behind the scenes of marketing & event planning AND the VIP red-carpet events where you can find it.

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About Me

Your SWAG Coorespondent. What I hope to relay with my SOCIAL DIARY “The Swag Suite,” is how passionately I feel about all things marketing, advertising and events. Being a marketing and merchandising consultant, I am very lucky to have a career in an industry I love. As a resource for product, I am invited to collaborate on very recognizable campaigns and celeb worthy events we read about in popular media.
Often times when I attend these events there are several details that go unseen and unappreciated by the guests. The SWAG Suite pays respect to the hard work that goes into swag events and being creative enough to “think outside of the box.”
My background in the advertising, marketing, fashion and entertainment industries AND my product knowledge have enabled me to be a PRO and understand my clients marketing & promotional messages and goals.
I was born and raised in Southern CA., currently residing in Los Angeles with my dreamy hubby and darling baby daughter (new addition as of 2011 ;-)! -MK

Ad Industry picks up The Swag Suite

"THE SWAG SUITE BLOG" has been picked up by the ASI-ONLINE Magazine as an industry resource. Professionals in the ASI Industry will have unlimited access and their very own VIP CARD to THE SWAG SUITE for learning purposes. They will be able to reference the fab events I attend and write about for inspiration, trend forcasts and project ideas!

MyStyle.com contributes to THE SWAG SUITE

My friends at MyStyle.com grace THE SWAG SUITE periodically with their advice on swagable product trends and picks! http://www.mystyle.com/ for the full scoop.